Means for effecting the continuous operation of moving-picture-projecting apparatus.



v i". E. FREBEBECKS.

MEANS FUR EFIYECTING THE CONTINUOUS OPERATION OF MOVING PICTURE PROJECTING APPARATUS.

APPLlcATlon FILED Aug-26.1912.

1 E PzwenifedSepi'. 26, 191$.

4 SHEETS-SHEET i I /z WW 666 6.

I F, E. FREDERICKS v MEANS FOR EFFECTING THE CONTINUOUS OPERATION OF MOVING PICTURE PROJECTiNG APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.26.1912. 1,199,536. 1 IatentedSept. 26,1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

- F. .E. FREDERICKS. MEANS FOR EFFECTING THE CONTINUOUS OPERATION OF MOVING PICTURE PROJECTING APPARATUS.-

1,1 APPLICA ION FILED AUG.26. I9I2.

PatentodSept'. 26, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

IIII IIII II IH" F. E. FREDERICKS.

MEANS FOR EFFECTING THE CONTINUOUS OPERATION OF MOVING PICTURE PROJ ECTING APPARATUS.

- 4 APPLICATION FILED AUG-26, I912.

1,199,536. Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

sTArEs PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK E. FREDERICKS, OF PORT CLINTGN, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO EDNA IVE. FREDERICKS,

]? Poem CLINTON, oni'o.

MEANS FOR EFFncTrNG THE oonrmooos OPERATION OF MOVING-PIGTURE-PROJECT- f Y ING APPARATUS.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK E. FREDERIoKs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Port Clinton, in the county of Ottawa and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Effecting the Continuous Operation of MoV ing-Picture-Projecting Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The primary object of my invention is to effect the' continuous, uninterrupted operation :of motion picture apparatus.

A further object of my invention is to provide improved apparatus of this character which will be simple, durable and reliable in'c0nstruction,and effective and efiicient in operation.

Other objects of my invention will appear hereinafter.

My invention is exemplified in the construction, combination and; arrangement of" parts herem described, and shown in the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment. o-fmy invention, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In theldrawings, Figure l.is a View in side elevation ofa structure embodying my invention,'this view also illustrating a motion picture projecting apparatus mounted upon the casing. Fig. 1 is'a plan view showing the trend of film on top. Fig. 2 is a View in end or side elevation, taken substantially on the line 2.2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, the casing or inclosure being shown in section. Fig. 3'is a View on the line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is a vertical partly sectional view'on line 414 of Fig; .3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of one of the reels and associated parts. Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 1, but more diagrammatic in character and'is intended to illustrate the reels in the act of changing positions after one reel'has received and wound up a quantity of film. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view in section on the line 77 of Fig. 5, looking upward. Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional View through one of the reels, but diagrammatic in character to illustrate the method of winding the film Specification of Letters Patent.

upon the reel. Fig. 9 is a View in elevation Patented Sept. 26, 1916. Application filed August 26, 1912. Serial no. 716,967.

of the upper portion of the rear side of the structure, showing the film equalizing or film controlling mechanism. Fig. 10 is a plan view thereof, taken substantially on the line 10-10 of Fig. 9, the casing being in section. And Figs. 11 and 12 are simplified diagrams illustrating the trend of the filin at different stages in the operation of, the

mechanism.

In the drawings I have illustrated a structure which I have found well adapted for attaining the objects of my invention, but it will be obvious to one skilled in the art after having obtained an understanding of my invention from the disclosures herein made that my invention may be as well embodied in other structures without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In the various types and kinds of moving picture apparatus now on the market and in use it is necessary, afterthe film has been passed through the projecting apparatus or machine head, torewind or wind back the film upon its original or another reel before it will be in position or condition for use again in the picture machine. This causes satisfactory results can be obtained by using an endless or continuous film, and in practice I intend that each endless film shall contain whatever numberof indiyidual picture shows it is desired'to present in one performance, although the number of shows and-the length of the film may be whatever is found best suited to conditions.

An advantage in the provision of a multi-show film, lies in the fact that it is only necessary to change the film once for each change ofiqirogram, and the complete film may be repeated for as many performances as desired without having to wind back or rehandle the film in any manner.'; I have shown the mechanism as contained in an inclosure or casing a for the, reason that head or film moving mechanism D in accordance with the well-known practice in moving picture projectors. This portion of' the apparatus, however, maybe of any suitable or desired type. I have illustrated the film 1 as entering the machine head D from the upper side and leaving said head on its under or lower side, the head D be ng provided with mechanism for positively propelling or moving the film progressively in a downward direction past the ray of light at such a speed as may be desirable to properly project the pictures.

I prefer to rhount the moving-picture pro 'jecting apparatus directly on the casing in such a way as to leave only a small portion of film exposed to accident and fire and if desired, that portion may be also covered. In the top of the casing are openings 2 and 3 through which the film leaves and enters the main casing, respectively. The vertical support 103 is provided for a guide roller 104 in a plane different from that of the opening 2, so that as the filmleaves the main casing, it will'be directed at an angle over the guide roller at the upper end of the vertical support and then enter the projecting apparatus. This arrangement directs the film as it leaves the upper portion of the main casing away from the direct rays of light or heat from the rear of the picture projecting apparatus. The guide roller at the upper end of the said support and the guide roller at the opening 3 are in the same plane which is coincident with the inlet and outlet to the moving picture projecting mechanism. It will, therefore, be seen that the main casing. incloses and protects the film on the reels, and the portions of the film extending from the main casing to the pro jector apparatus is amply protected against both accident, which may tear the film,- and against such heat as will tend to burn it.

For the sake of convenience in taking up and paying out the film and in order that the long length of film may be maintained compact, I prefer to use reels or spools,as* illustrated at E and E in the drawings, upon which the film is Wound. While more than two reels might be used, I prefer to employ only two for the sake of efficiency and simplicity. These reels are preferably made identical in construction, so that they may be placed at either end of the double armed carrier. In the structure shown in the drawings, one of these reels during a certain period'of time acts to receive and wind up the film which leavesjthe picture projecting apparatus, and the other reel during this period of time-serves to pay out film to the machine head. During another period of time, however, these conditions are changed and the first mentioned reel, having previously received a quantity of film, becomes a supply reel while the second mentioned reel, having emptied, becomes the receiving reel. In other words, these-two reels periodically interchange and one of them performs the function which the other reel previously performed. In order, therefore,

that these reels may be conveniently and easily interchanged I mount them at opposite ends of an arm or frame F, centrally pivoted at F to rotate in a vertical plane. Thus it is evident. more particularly from Figs. 1 and 6 that the series of reels (which in this case involves two reels) is rotary in character about the pivotal center F of the frame or carriage F, and the reels may thereby be bodily shifted to interchange their positions and transfer the film, so to speak, from one reel to the other. The reels themselves are rotatably mounted upon the outer ends of the rotary carriage or frame F and in the structure shown they comprise cores E and E respectively, each core having two parallel circular disks or flanges spaced apart to provide therebetween a deep annular space for accommodating a considerable length of film.

As shown more particularly in Figs. 1, 6,- 7 and 8, the reels have film clamps for gripping the film and holding it on the cores to start the film winding on the reels. It will be seen that each core has a relatively large smooth edged depression or recess 7 in its periphery, which depression receives or accommodates a comparatively large cylindrical dog or clamp 8, the proportions of these parts being such that when the clamp 8 is in the recess the general outline (Fig. 8) conforms substantially to the peripheral arc of the core so that the film will wrap smoothly and evenly on the core. These cylindrical clamps extend through openings in the disks of the reels and are pivoted between two lugs 9 outstanding from the outer face of said disks, and each clamping memof the reel and allow the film to lie across the depression 7, whereupon the clamp may then be swung downwardlyby its spring and firmlygrip the film in the depression 7, as clearly shown in' Figs. 6 and 8. It will be noted, however, that the clamping parts are relatively large and formed in generally smooth curves whereby they will not damage or injure the film when they clamp it upon thecores ,of. the reels. These clamps are adapted to" operate automatically to clamp or releasej'the film at-theproper times as the case maybe, and'in this structure I accomplish-gthis" automatic operation in a 10 simple manner by means of a track orcam 11 disposed in an arc concentric with the are described by pivotal centers of the reels the same plane'as strips 51,

and located in 106 and 9 3.

In' the structure shown the reels are intended to lie in a vertical line one above the other, and the' reel which occupies the of th'e'reels when they are vertically alined.

This is clearly illustrated in Fig. 6. Each clamp 8 has an upstanding pin 12 near its pivot the roller 12 on which engages the lower end 11 of the cam 11 in such manner as 'to swing the clamp out of the depression 7 andrelease the film. This action occurs just slightly after the lower reel starts upby the spring 10 to grip the film and hold it on the reel. It should be understood that the upper end 11 of the cam track is hook shaped as shown in Figs. land 6, because formed on an arc of a radius only slightly larger than the radius of thehook E or E of a reel. The track 11 is on an arc approximately equal to the length of one of the arms of the pivoted carrier F. When the reels interchange positions the track 11 performs its function during the rotation of a carrier F through about 180 degrees. The carrier F is then held in the position shown in Fig. 1 by the pin 27 fitting into the notch at the outer end of the locking arm 25. When the upper reel is filled up to a point where the locking arm 25 is released the reels will begin to move to their new positions, as

shown in Fig. 6, the clamp pin 12 will engage the curved lower lip portion 11 of the track 11, as shown in' Figs. 2 and 5, and

the track 11 will hold the clamping cylinder 8 in releasing position, even after the reels have been interchanged and again locked in position, as shown in Fig. 1. Theclamping cylinder; 8 is not released until after the uppenreel has rotated farther so as to permit the clamping pin 12 to escape from .the upper hook portion 11 of the track. It

will, therefore, be seen that during the interchange of the reelsthe clamping pin 12 is moved through a large arc defined by the track 11, but after the reels have reached their new positions and the upper reel is rotated the clampingpin 12 .is rotated on a smaller radius. This accounts for the hook shaped portion 11 of the track; When the pin 12 runs ofi the auxiliary track 11 the spring 10 will automatically move the cylinder 8 into its recess- 7 in the hub of the reel as shown in Figs; 7 and 8. This will cause the film tobe doubled uponitself and wound in parallel relation as indicated in Figs. ,1, 6, and 8, and shown also diagrammatically in Figs. 11 and 12.

In order that the clamps may be in proper relative position to clamp and release the film as the case may be, I provide a second track or guide 90 which cooperates with two diametrically opposite roller pins 91 on the core of each reel. Hence when the lower reel starts upwardly thejclamp of said reel will be in proper position to be operated by the cam track 11. At the point 92 corresponding to the position of the lower reel the guide track 90 is curved so as not to interfere with the free rotation of the reel on its own axis. This curved portion also, in conjunction with the curved short guide 93,'operates to properly direct the pins 91 into relation with the track 90. In this structure the film is released when the clamp is on substantially the lowest side of the lower reel core. When, however, the reel arrives at the upper position the clamp will be properly positioned to grip the film again. a

The trend of. the film and the method of winding it so that during the operation of the mechanism the "film may travel in one direction continuously without interruption,

is best illustrated by means of the diagrams Figs. 11 and 12. In these figures the reference-characters E and E qindicate the cores of the reels. Fig. 11 illustrates the lower reel full of film and the upper reel in the act of commencing the winding of the film It will be observed that the portion G represents that portion of the film which is just leaving the machine head. The upper reel E has started to rotate on its own axis in orde to wind the film thereon. In this point in the operation of the parts the clamp of the upper reel has just left the, upper end 11 of the cam track 11 and has clamped the film upon the core. Thus the rotation of the reel tion and relation that the upper reel E is cated by the arrow y, this being. obvious E in the direction of arrow at will cause the G from the lower reel E -which previously wound the film in the same general direcnow doing it; The lower reel E not only pays out the portion G of the film to the I upper reel, but it also pays out the portion G of the film in the direction of the arrow 3 to the machine head. As soon as the lower reel becomes empty the clamping member 8 thereof is operated to release the film as shown in Fig. 12 and allows the full reel to be swung downwardly into the position occupied by the now empty lower reel E, and the lower reel is simultaneously rotated upwardly to the position which the lower reel E has just left. As before explained, the releasing of the film from the lower reel E occurs just after the reel starts on its upward journey. As soon as-the lower reel E reaches the upper position it occupies the same relation to the film as the upper reel E'did in Fig. 11, and the reel E simultaneously reaches the lower position and serves as a supply reel. This cycle of operation may go on indefinitely without interruptin or changing the general progres sion of t e film in the one direction indisince the intermittent interchanging of positions by the reels always places the reels in the same winding relationto the film; and the film being endless, will continue to travel in the one. direction, hence any number of individual shows which the film contains may be repeated in successive order as many times as desired without stopping the mechanism or manually handling the film in any manner. While it may be possible to manually shift or interchange the reels at the proper intervals, it is manifest that such procedure would be rather inconvenient al though practicable, because the reels may be proportioned so as to hold enough film to contain all of the individual shows which are to be given in one performance and it would then be necessary to' merely rotate the reels to their interchanged positions for each performance, but the film itself would not have to berewound upon its original reel as is the case at present. In fact the film itself would not have to be handled in any manner, and the mere interchanging of the reels would occupy no more than a sec operating moyingpicture apparatus is employed, or to start and stop the motor when the apparatus is power driven.

I will. now describe the mechanism by whiclithe intermittent interchangingof the reels may be automatically,accomplished.

In the structure shown I prefer to drive only the upper reel directly. The pull of the film by this? reel may unwind the lower reel or-the lower reel maybe unwound by the pull on the film extending to-the picture projecting apparatus along the direction For this reason the shaft 15 of each reel is mounted in a bearing in the end of the rotary carriage F," and has a gear wheel 16 on its near end, and as each reel is rotated into the upper position its gear 16 enters into mesh with the driving gear 17, the shaft 18 of which is suitably journaled in bearings formed in the casing or inclosure. The

gear 17 is loose on the shaft 18 and is driven through a friction clutch .19, from any suitable source of power. In the structure shown I have connected this clutch by a crossed belt 20 with the manual driving mechanism of the machine head, as shown in Fig. 1, although it is clearly obvious that it may be driven separately by an electric motor or otherwise. The action of the clutch is controlled by equalizing or controlling mechanism, which I will describe later.

During the period when the upper and lower reels are in their winding and paying out positions respectively, they are locked in these positions by a long arm 25. This arm is pivoted in a suitable bracket 26 secured to the inner wall of the casing. It has a slot or opening which drops over a pin 27 on each end of the rotary carriage F. (Figs. 1, 2-, 3 and 4.) Then the frame is rotated the pin 27 slides along the under surface of the outerend of the arm 25, and as soon as the frame reaches a yertical position the pin enters the hole in said arm and locks the mechanism in position. This locking arm is actuated at intervals to assume releasing position, such as when the lower 'reel is empty, by a follower 28 having a rollered end 29 adapted to ride upon the coil of film on the lower reel and follow the gradually decreasing diameter of said coil as the film is paid but. The other end of the follower arm is pivoted in a bracket 30 (Fig. 3) upon a shaft 31, to which it is rigidly connected. Fastened to this shaft is a cam or eccentric 32, upon the periphery of which rides the lower end of a vertically disposed rod 33. This rod is journaled in suitable brackets 34 and its upper end is attached to the rearward end 35 of the locking arm 25. A- spring 36 interposed between the upper fixed bracket 34 and a collar 37 on the vertical rod normally tends to force the rod 33 downwardly and thereby swing the locking arm 25 upwardly to release the rotary carriage. The rod 33, however, is held against the action of its spring by a spring-pressed dog 38 loosely pivoted upon the shaft 31 and having its nose 39 engaged in a notch 99 in the vertical rod 33.

When the rollered end 29 of the follower arm has reached a position corresponding to the lower reelbecoming empty a pin 40 on the cam 32 arrives in position to strike the dog 38 and release the vertical rod 33, whereupon the rod is forced down by the spring 36 which operation causes the locking arm to release the rotary carriage. The rod 33 is given room to move downwardly a certain amount because by the time the adjustable projection 40 strikes the dog 38 up.on the core of said the lowest part of the cam 32 will have been carried around to a point below the end of the rod 33.

The point in the movement of, the follower arm which corresponds to the empty lower reel is a slot 45 in the core of the reel, (Figs. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 intowhich the end 29 of the follower arm drops when the slotis exposed by the unwrapping of the reel from the core. As soon as'the rotary carriage is thus released the momentum imparted to the upper'end thereof through the driving gears, combined with the greater weight of the full upper reel and the pullon the film in the lower reel from the moving picture projecting apparatus causes the carriage F and the reels to rotate until they have reversed position, .wherein they are again locked by the locking arm 25 and pin 27, as before described.

During the upward travel of the empty lower reel the follower arm 28, which rests reel, is swung upwardly toward an almost vertical position and in thus swinging upwardly it rotates the eccentric 32,-which forces the rod 33 upwardly against the action of the spring 36 and allows the spring-pressed dog 38 to snap into the notch 99 in the rod 33, thereby re storing the rod 33 to an operative condition, ready to automatically release the carriage, when the lower reel again becomes empty. The follower arm is restored to a position resting upon the lower full reel by riding off of the core of the upwardly traveling empty reel and dropping upon the film of the full reel, which is now riding in lower position As the carriage F approaches its vertical position the pin 27 at its outer end lifts the arm 25against the action of the spring 100 until the pin 27 is directly under the notch in the outer end of the arm 25 when the latter will snap into locking posi- .tion.

When the upper reel is traveling to its lower position it is desirable to r tard the turn by the pull ofthe film on its own axis during its perlo of travei so as not to change the relative position of the Jim and reel. For this reason I have provided a brake or drag for each reel which preferably frictionally holds the reels from rotating backward any more than is necessary to compensate for the tendency of the film to unwind as the reel travels downwardly. This is very effectively accomplished by simple mechanism, such, for instance, as that shown more particularly in Figs. 1 and 2.

necessary to retard the action of the reel which is traveling from upper to lower position, and for this reason I provide an areshaped cam 61 on the empty side of travel of the reel in the path of the ends of the spring-pressed rods 58. The lower end 62 of this cam is inclined so that the springpressed rod 58 0f the lower reel brake will ride up on the cam 61 and in this manner the brake will be taken off said lower reel while it is traveling from lower to upper position. This cam, however, does not interfere with the action of the upper reel bralre' while said reel is traveling to lower posltion.

I prefento control the pull or tension'onbefore mentioned, the upper reel is driven by the gears 16 and 17 through the medium of a friction clutch, which is operated by equalizing mechanism directly controlled by the increasing diameter of the coil of film in the upper, reel. I will now describe this mechanism in detail.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 2, 9 and 10 it will be seen that the shaft 18 to which the clutch member 19 is fastened, projects through and beyond its bearing 70 in the casing. it is movable longitudinally in its bearings so as to vary the clutching effect on the clutching face 17 of the gear 17, and I prefer to intcrpose a dish of leather 19 or other suitable material between the clutch member 1 and the clutch base 1'7 to render the variable friction more gradual. On the outer end of the shaft 18 is a collar or head 71 which, although rotatable on the ing in a downward direction 'therefrom. The head 71 also has arms 76 and-101 both of which operate in a spirally disposed cam slot 77 in the sleevej'flgsoftliatfby rotating the arm .76 '-'.-alid he'ad"'7lf*'relatively to the sleeve 7 2 the sleeve will be'moved longitudinally on the head 71. ;This longitudinal movement ofthe sleeve is resisted by a'spiral compression spring 78 interposed between the fixed bearing 70 and the sleeve 72. The shaft 18 will thereby be moved longitudinally and cause the clutch member 19 to frictionally grip the gear member 17 in pro portion to the'varying compression on the sp'ring 78. In the structure shown I con trol this clutch by the varying diameter of the coil of film'in the upper or winding reel. I provide a controller arm 79 having a roller 80 at one end which rides on the coil of film in the upper reel (Fig' 9) and thereby follows the varying diameter thereof. This arm is mounted at its other end 81' upon a rotatable shaft 82 which is journaled on bearing brackets 83 and which projects through to the rear side of the casing. The projecting end carries an arm 84 which is connected at 85 to the link rod 86 Whichextends to the arm 76 of the head 7 '1. Thusit is manifest that as the reel gradually fills up with film the controller arm 79 gradually rotates the head 71 and by reason of the spring 78 and the cam action between the head 71 and sleeve 72 the clutch will be gradually controlled in proportion to the increasing diameter of the coil of film, and thereby equalize the pull on the film through the picture machine head.

While the reels are shifting position the arm 84 rests against the fixed stop'88 which projects rearwardly from the casing as shown in Fig. 10. Therefore the'arm 79 will'not fall andit will occupy a proper position to allow the lowerreel as it ascends 'to go under the roller 80 at thefree end of.

the arm 79. As the film is wound on the upper reel the arm 79 is gradually lifted lmwardly by'the increasing diameter of the roll of film. At the lowest position of the arm 79 the arms 76 and 73 occupythe positions indicated by the dotted lines: 76 and 7 3 respectively. When the'reel is filled to the extent indicated in Fig. 9 the parts will occupy the positions indicated by the full lines and when the reel is nearly filled arms 76 and 7 3 will be in the dotted line'position 76 and 73".

As the film winds up on the upper reel the equalizing mechanism causes a firmer grip be tween the frictional clutch members which decreases the slippage between these members which wofild otherwise be increased. I prefer to have some slippage between the clutch members even at the starting of the upper reel when brought into position empty. Then whenever there is'any slack in the film when cumference grows larger and therefore the turning efiort, or the torque, must be increased in order to maintain the film taut. By increasing the frictional engagement betweenthe clutch members the torque or turning'eifort will be increased and therefore the required pull on the film will be maintaine It should be understood that the film travels through the picture projecting apparatus at substantially uniform speed or at such speed as is determined by the driving mech anism..- Both before and after entering the projection apparatus the film is somewhat slack or'is subjected to only sufficient pull to prevent it from piling up. In other words the film to and from the picture projecting mechanism should be maintained reel were such as not to wind up the film at first as fast as it is paid out from the picture projecting mechanism, then the film would pile up and not wind up properly. In fact in some cases there might be three hundred feet of film on the fioor in an end less tangle. I

By means of the friction clutch and my improved equalizer the turning effort may be varied automatically as required to maintain the film properly taut at all times. At the start the smaller amount of frictional connection between the clutch members is such as to permit the reel to be turned sufiiciently fast to keep the film taut and wound up as fast as it is paid out from the projecting mechanism. This frictional connection is adjustable initially so that the starting torque on. the reel may be sufficient to turn. the reel at the proper speed and to produce the proper pull on the film as it comes from the picture projecting mechanism. By referring to Fig. 10 it will be seen that this adjustment may be made by means of the nut 102. By turning this in one direction the head 71 with the sleeve 72 thereon is moved inwardly on the rod 18 and the tension on the spring 78 is increased and this increases the friction between the disks 19 and 17 and by moving the nut 102 in the other direction this friction is decreased. Besides this adjustment there may be also another which ismade by hooking the'outer I ends of the links 86 and 74 into various This Will increase the tension in the spring 78 because the lower arm 73 is moved far-j ther to the left. Various other connectionsmay be made as by moving the link 86 up one hole which will move the arm-7 6 farther to the left. If-desired the automatic equalizer may be omitted and the nut 102 op; erated manually.-

Preferably the frictional engagement at the clutch is such that slipping will result due to the pull onthe film. As the film winds up the film would be pulled faster, because of the larger circumference if a positive driving connection were employed,

but when the frictional clutch is used the slippage would increase because of the increasing of the back pull on a larger radius and consequently the pull on the film tends to diminish. Therefore in reality the film tends to be pulled more slowly and it would not be taken up at a sufiicient rate of speed unless the turning effort or torque is in creased. To increase the torque on the upper reel to drive the increasedload due to the increase of weight of the upper film, and the back pull on a larger radius, the fric tional engagement of the clutch member is increased automatically and gradually. This results in maintaining a uniform pull on the film after it is paid out from the moving picture projecting apparatus and constantly takes up all slack. This increased torque at the friction clutch, as before explained, is

' obtained by the equalizing mechanism shown in Figs. 9 and 10. It-will be seen that this equalizing mechanism gradually increases the frictional engagement between the clutch members as the film grows larger and more power is required to turn the reel to keep taut the film that is being fed from the picture projecting mechanism.

Sometimes it is desired to run a film faster, for instance when a train is represented as traveling at full speed. But since the film reels ar driven from the same driving shaft as the moving picture projecting apparatus the speed of the driving gear 17 (Fig. 2) will be in proportion thereto; that is,'the speed of rotation of the gear 1'? will mechanism will be in harmony therewith and theequ'alizing mechanism will keep a uniform pull on the film to keep the same taut and prevent any slack therein and yet not at any timeproduce any undue or breaking strain thereon.

When an upper reel entirely or nearly filled with film descends to its lower posi tion the guide pins 91, 91 may be in any position and if one of them is arranged radially with respect to the other itwill strike the guiding track 112 a blow and the [tendency will be to immediately rotate the reel on its axis until the guiding pins 91, 91 are arranged circumferentially as shown in Fig. 5. In order to relieve the impact or to cushion the blow of the pin 91 against the track 112 I prefer to pivot the latter at 105 asshown in Figs. 5 and 6. In the drawings I have designated the track as 112 and the pivoted bar as 106, the latter being provided with a curved portion 109 joining the lower end 92 of the track 90 at 108. A bracket 110 is provided for supporting a pin 11 which bears against the pivoted member 106. A spring 107 011 the pin 111normally holds the curved portion 109 against the surface 108. When a full reel descends and the pin 91 strikes the track 112 the pivoted bar 106 will yield and the spring 107 will cushion the impact or blow While at the same time the reel will be partially rotated so as to pin 12 will remain in engagement with the cam track 11 and hold the clamping cylinder 8 out of the recess 7 during the interchangingof the reels. The guiding strips 90, 92, and 93 are all arranged in the sameplane. It is intended that the upper reel shall not be released until the roller 29 falls into the slot at which time the pins 91, 91 will be in position to ride along the track 90. But if the upper reel should be released before the pins 91, 91 reach their circumferential relation and the movement of the reel besooner than expected the cam guidii'ig surfaces 92 and 93 may be depended upon to properly move the lower reel to such position that the pins 91, 91 will properly cooperate with the track 90. As soon as one of the pins 91 enters the space between the guiding strip 9? and the guide 90 the lower reel is confined and held from further rotation. The guiding strip 93 is of such length as to insure the movement of both pins the track 90 before either one leaves the track 93. This extension of the track 93 will insure the holding of the pin 12 in-engagement with the cam track 11' until both pins 91 engage the track 90, after which the pin 12 will still be held in proper position by the cam track 11.

What I claim is:

1. Moving picture projecting apparatus comprising two reels, means for operating said reels to wind an endless film on one reel and pay it out from the other, and means for changing the positions of said reels periodically to secure acontinuous and automatic movement of said endless film.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with moving. picture projecting mechanism comprising means for moving an endless film always in the same direction, of two reels one for taking up the filmas it leaves the projecting apparatus and the other at'the same time paying out film to said projecting'apparatus, andmeans entirely automatic for operating said reels to hold the film compactly wound on one or both of the same and means to control the action of said reels to enable the projecting apparatus to be operated continuously and uninterruptedly.

3. In apparatus of the class described, the

combination with moving picture projecting apparatus comprising means for moving an endless film continuously and uninterruptedly in a predetermined direction, of means for reeling up the film as it leaves the moving picture projecting apparatus, and means for payin out the film by unreeling the same to. said moving picture projecting apparatus, and mechanism for controlling the reeling and unreeling of said film to secure the continuous and uninterrupted operation of said moving picture projecting apparatus, during successive movements of the entire filmithroughsaid apparatus a plurality of times. i g Y I {LJAn' apparatus of the class described comprising a picture projecting machine, a plurality of film carrying reels, each adapted to rotate on its axis, driving means adapted to drive :the film carrying reels alternately to takeup film from said projecting device, each'film carrying reel being adapted to pay out film when the other film carrying reel isbeing driven by the driving means, and meansfor alternately moving the film carrying reels into and out of operative connection with the driving means.

5. In apparatus of the class described, the. combination of an endless picture film, mechanism for propelling said film constantly'in one direction, a plurality of reels, means for operating said reels so that one will-receive the film-from said mechanism and another pay it out to said mechanism,

and means for automatically reversing the action of said reels at periodic intervals.

6. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a plurality of film-holding reels, an endless film extending to the several reels, mechanism for taking the film constantly in one direction from one of said reels and causing it to wind upon another of said reels, and automatic mechanism for intermittently reversing the action of said reels.

'7. In film take-up mechanism of the class described, the combination of a plurality of reels, an endless film extending from reel to reel, mechanism for causing one of said reels to wind the film thereon and another'of said reels to simultaneously unwind the film at substantially the same rate and for moving the film progressively past a given point in onedirection, and automatic mechanism for eriodically interchanging said reels and reversing the action thereof.

8. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of an endless film, a plurality of reels one of which is adapted to pay out said film and simultaneously feed the film to another of said reels, mecha- -nism for intermittently causing the film to of the film back upon itself in winding relations to the reels, and a driving means having an operative connection alternately with the reels for winding the film alternately from one tothe other of said reels.

10. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a plurality of reels, an endless film, a driving means, and automatic means adapted to establish operative connection between the driving means and the reels alternately for winding the film alter-- nately from one reel to the other reel.

11. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of. a plurality of reels, an endless film, means for doubling portions of the film back upon itself in winding relations to the reels, a driving means adapted to be connected to each of said reels, one at a time, for winding one of said doubled portions on said reel, and means under the control of the film for disconnecting the connection between the driving means and one of the reels for winding one of said; doubled portions of the film on said reel, and means under the control of the film for moving said reel out of operative relation with the driving means when a predetermined quantity of: film has been wound on said reel and moving another of the reels into operative relation with the driving means to wind another of the doubled. portions of the'film on the-last mentioned reel.

13. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of two reels, an endless film,doubled upon itself and wound upon one of sa'id reels, picture machine mechanism through which a continually changing portion of said film is adapted to pass in one direction, a rotary member for carrying-said reels and mechanism "for automatically operating said rotary member periodically to cause the film to transfer the other of said reels in the same winding relation.

14. An apparatus of the class described comprising two reels, a driving means, an endless film, and automatic means for establishing operative communication between the driving means and the rels alternately for winding the film onto one oi the reels while it is being paid out by the other of the reels to effect continuous operation of the film over and over again.

15. An apparatus of the class described comprising a projecting machine, an endless film extending through the projecting machine, a driving means, a plurality of reels, and automatic means for establishing operative connection between the driving means. and the reels alternately for winding the film onto one of the reelswhile it is being paid out by the other of the reels and passed through the projecting machine to effect operation of the film over and over again. p 16. In combination, a projecting machine, two film carrying reels, an endless film adapted to pass through the projecting machineand to have portions thereof wound on said reel, a driving means for positively driving the reels, one at a time, to wind up the film as it passes through the project mg machine, and means for connecting the driving means with the reels alternately to wind the film first on one then on the other of the reels in order to pass the film over and over again through the projecting machine.

17. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a film, and automatic mechanism under the control of the film for successively passing the film in continuous uninterrupted progression past a given point, a plurality of times.

18. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of picture projecting mechanism, an endless film, an automatic take-up mechanism embodying reels upon which said film is adapted to be wound and un wound, mechanism for controlling the operation of said reels to interchange the reels that are undergoing the winding and unwinding operations, and operating means for the takeup mechanism.

19. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of moving picture projecting mechanism, an endless film adapted to be moved in operative relation to said projecting mechanism in one continuous direction, a reel upon which said film is wound as it leaves said picture projecting mechanism, a second reel from which said film unwinds, means for operating said reels for automatically interchanging the positions of said reels, and means for causing the film to unwind from said first mentioned reel and rewind upon said second mentioned reel.

20. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of moving picture projecting mechanism, an endless film adapted to be moved in operative relation to said projecting mechanism in one continuous direction, a reel upon which said film is wound as it leaves said picture projecting mecha'- nism, a second reel from which said film unwinds, reel operating means mechanism un der the control or" the moving film for mu tomatically interchanging the positions of the said reels, and means for causing the film to unwind from said first mentioned reel and rewind upon said second mentioned reel.

21. In apparatus of the class described, moving picture projecting apparatus in combination with an endless film adapted to be passed therethrough in one continuous direction, interchangeable take-up reels one of which is adapted to simultaneously receive the film from said projecting mechanism and from a previously wound take-up reel, reel operating means and mechanism under the control of the film for automatically interchanging the filled reeland empty reel.

22. In apparatus of the class described, moving picture mechanism in combination with an endless film adapted to be passed through said mechanism in one continuous direction, plurality of interchangeable reels each adapted to periodically wind the film thereon as it leaves the projecting mechan'ism and simultaneously unwind the film from a previously wound reel, and medianism for interchanging said reels aseach.

reel becomes empty.

23. In apparatus of the class described, moving picture projecting mechanism in combination with an endless film adapted to be moved through said projecting mechanism in one continuous direction, a. rotary series or reels each of which is adapted to for causing theactuation of said positioning mechanism.

24. In combination, a picture projecting machine, an endless film adapted to travel progressively through the projecting ma- .chine, a rotary film holding reel, driving means, an operative connection between the driving means and reel, and mechanism connected with said connection for varying the speed of the reel as the size of the roll of the film varies on said reel. 1

25. Incombination, a picture projecting machine, an, endless film adapted to travel progressively through the projecting machine, a film holding reel, driving means for rotating the reel, and a connection between the driving means and reel controlled by the size of the roll of film 'on the reel for driving the reel gradually slower relative to the driving means as the size of the roll of film increases.

26, In apparatus of the class described, the combination of means for progressively moving an endless film, winding mechanism for winding said film into a coil and for paying said film out of said coil, and.automatic mechanism under the control of the varying diameter of the coil of film for controlling the speed of rotation of the winding mechanism.

27. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of an endless film adapted to travel progressively in one direction, a plurality of interchangeable reels adapted to intermittently pay out the film progressively, driving means for rotating the reels intermittently to wind up the film, and mechanism actuated by the varying diameters of the coils of film on said reels for governing the power applied to said reels to secure a uniform taking up and paying out of said film.

28. The combination with a moving picture machine, of a plurality of film carrying reels, a rotary carrier for. said film carrying reels, means for automatically releasing said rotary carrierandpermitting it to rotate througha predetermined angle, means for locking the rotary carrier in the position to which it is rotated, and apparatus for operating saidreels to take up the film from said moving'picture machine and pay it out thereto.

29. In. combination, a picture projecting machine, an endless film adapted to pass through the projecting machine, winding mechanism for taking up the film as it comes from the projecting machine, and means associated with the winding mechanism controlled by the film as the latter is wound for equalizing the tension or pull on the film as it is being taken up after leaving the projecting machine.

30. A picture projecting machine, two film holding reels, an endless film having portions doubled and wound on the reels, drivfor winding portions of the film coming" from the projecting machine and first men tioned reel onto the second mentioned reel,

31. In combination, a picture projecting machine, two film holding reels, an endless film, means associated with each reel for engaging a portion of the film and doubling said portion back on itself into winding relation with said reels, a driving means, and

an operative connection between the driving means and one of the reels for rotating the latter to wind up substantially equal quan tities of film paid out from the projecting machine and the other of the reels. 32. In a device of the class described, the

combination with a double-armed carrier pivoted at its middle, of two reels one pivcted to each outer end of said carrier, a gear connected to each of said reels, a driving gear adapted to mesh with one of the reel gears, locking mechanism for holding the double armed carrier in such position that the driving gear is held in mesh with one of the reel gears, and automatic means for releasing said locking mechanism to permit the interchange of the positions of said reels to bringthe other reel gear into mesh with the driving gear.

33. In combination, a picture projecting machine, two film carrying reels, an endless film associated with the projecting machine and the reels, driving means for driving the reels, one at a time, to wind the film as it comes from the projecting machine, first on one then on the other of the reels for-using the film over and over again without interruption, and means under control of a predetermined quantity of film on one of the reels for moving such reel out of operative turning the carrier on its pivotal point, a gear connected to each reel, a driving gear capable of meshing with each of said reel gears, locking mechanism for holding the carrier in a predetermined position, means for holding the carrier, a brake, means for automatically applying said brake to one of said reels as the carrier-is turned, and automatic means for releasing said locking mech anism.

35. In adevice of the class described, the combination with-a double-armed carrier pivoted at its middle, of two reels one at each outer end of said carrier,a gear connected to each reel, a driving gear, locking mechanism for holding the driving gear in -meshwith one of said reel gears, automatic 36. In a device of the class described, the I combination with a double-armed carrier, of two reels one pivoted to each outer end of said carrier, means on each reel for holding a portion of an endless film in position thereon for winding up, apparatus for rotating said reels to wind the film on one of them, means for automatically interchanging the position of said reels, a cam for releasing the said film-holding-means, and a guide for holding the film-holding-means in releasing position until the reels have been interchanged.

37. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a double-armed carrier pivoted at its middle, of two reels one pivoted to each outer end ofsaid carrier, a gear connected to each reel to rotate therewith, a film clamp carried by each reel, d1ametr1- cally disposed pins extending from said reel gears, a driving gear, locking mechanism for holding the carrier in position when the driving gear is in mesh with one of said reel gears, automatic releasing mechanism for ei fecting an interchange of positions of said reels by the overbalancing weight of the up per filled r'eel,a camfor releasing the film clamp of the lower reel as it starts to ascend, a brake applied to the upper reel as it descends, a cam for releasing the brake of the lower reel as it ascends, and a guide engaged by said diametrically disposed pins for holding the ascending reel in position when the filmclarnp is in releasing position until a short time after the gear of said reel meshes with the driving gear said brake releasing cam also releasing the brake of the descending reel when it reaches lower limit of its movement where it is at about the time that the driving gear meshes with the gear of the ascending reel and the film, clamp on the same is released to clamping position. i icturc machine, winding mechanism comp-ising two reels, a pivoted reel carrier, means for efi'ecting the rotation of said carrier and means for gradually stopping the carrier when rotated to interchange the position of said reels.

39. ii picture machine, a film winding mechanism comprising two rotary reels, apivoted carrier on which said reels are mounted, guiding devices for said reels and carrier when the latter is rotated to interchange the positions of said reels, a spring pressed bufi'er mechanism for relieving the impact due to stopping the reel carrier.

4:0. A picture machine, a film winding mechanism comprising a rotary carrier and rotary reels pivoted to said carrier, guiding pins projecting from the hubs of said reels, a track cooperating with said pins to serve as guiding ineclmnism, and a spring pressed lever for cushioning the stopping of the carrier.

41. A picture machine, a film winding ap paratus comprising a rotary carrier and ro tary reels pivoted to the outer ends thereof, a plurality of clamps one associated with. the hub of each of said reels, pins projecting from said hubs, a cam track co-acting with said pins to hold the clamps in a predetermined position, and an additional cam track co-acting with said clamp to hold the latter in open position.

A picture machine, a film winding a pparatus comprising a pivoted carrier and film carrying reels pivoted thereto, film clamping mechanism associated with the hubs of said reels, guiding mechanism tor holding one o the reels in a predetermined position while the carrier is being rotated, and a cam track co-acting with said film clamping device to hold the latter in open position wltm the carrier is being rotated.

pict machine, a film winding apk aratus com ising a. rotary carrier, and rotary film carrying reels mounted thereon, film clamping mechanism, pins projecting from the hubs of said reels, :1 guidingtrack cotipera ting with said pins to hold the corresponding rcel in a predetermined position, an auxiliary guide "for directing the said pins on the said guiding track, and an addi tional track co-actin with said clamping device to hold the latter in open position while said carrier 'is being rotated.

A picture machine, a film winding apparatus comprising pivoted carrier and film carrying reels mounted thereon, film clamping mechanism associated with the hubs of said reels, apparatus for holding said film clamping mechanism in released position while said pivoted carrier is being rotated, and an auxiliary track for continuing to hold the film clamping mechanism in released position after the carrier has come to rest and until after one of the reels has been rotated to a predetermined angle.

45. A film'winding apparatus comprising a pivoted carrier and film carrying reels pivoted to the outer ends thereof, film clamping devices associated with the hubs of said reels, two laterally projecting pins on each of the hubs of said reels, a substantially semi-circular track co-acting with the pins on the hubs of one of said reels when said pivoted car rier is rotated to interchange the positions of said reels, an additional semi-circular track co-acting with the film clamping devices to hold one of them in open position while said carrier is being rotated, an extension on said last named track for maintaining the film clamping device in released position after the said carrier has come to rest and until the guided reel has been rotated to a predetermined angle.

46. A picture machine, a film winding apparatus comprising a double arm carrier pivoted at its middle, and film carrying reels pivoted at the outer ends of said arms, film clamping devices one associated with each of the hubs of said reels for doubling the film on itself, means for actuating the upper reel for winding the film thereon in parallelism, a plurality of pins, two associated with each of the hubs of said reels, a guiding track co-acting With said pins to hold the ascending reel in a predetermined position, an additional track co-acting with the film clampin device of the ascending'reel to l hold suc clamping device in released posisaid first named tion while the reel is being held. in a predetermined position by the said pins engaging uiding track, and an auxiliary track for holding the film clamping device of the ascending reel in released position after the double arm carrier comes to rest and until the upper reel has been rotated to a predetermined angle permitting the clamping device to engage the film laterally and wind it on the reel which has just ascended, while the film on the filled descended reel is paid out.

- 47. A picture machine, a film winding apparatus comprising a pivoted carrier and film carrying reels pivoted to the outer ends thereof, film clamping devices, one associated With each of said film carrying reels, means for operating said clamping device to closed position,means for winding the film on one of said reels while it is being paid out fromthe other, means for opening the clamping device of the paying out reel, mechanism for effecting the interchange of position of the reels, locking mechanism for holding the reels in interchanged position, and driving apparatus for operating the empty reelpand causing said film clamping device to grip the film, double it upon itself and wind the same in parallelism on said empty reel.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 19th day of August, A. D. 1912.

FRANK E. FREDERICKS.

Witnesses:

CHARLES M. NISSEN, HAROLD G. ROCKWELL. 

